What a week!
So, Mass is wrapping up last Sunday (May 16), the Priest has given the final blessings and is getting ready to march down the aisle exiting the church.
It usually looks a lot like this.
But instead of cuing the trumpeters, he asks everyone to be seated. There's a collective groan as he has been known to offer up a second homily occasionally at this point. In any case, being the good flock that we are, we are seated.
He proceeds to read a letter from the Bishop, which was interesting in itself, as he's the #2 guy in the Archdiocese. In it, he said that given the current circumstances, if parishioners were fully vaccinated against the Wu-Flu, mask wearing would no longer be required during Mass. If they were not fully vaccinated, they would still be asked to wear a mask.
There were a few sotto voce comments of "about time" made (before Mrs J elbowed me in the ribs), but generally, there were smiling faces. At that point, the Priest nodded to the trumpeters and marched down the aisle.
This Sunday (May 23), Mrs J and I walked in at our normal time (early, the congregation has a group that prays the Rosary before Mass, I like to participate, as a precaution, of course). I glance around.
Ain't nobody wearing a mask! By the time Mass started, there were about 25 people wearing masks out of close to 400. I recognized most of these people. I don't think they were members of the "I wear a mask so I'm not thought to be Republican" genre, I think they were of the mindset of "I didn't get vaccinated (for whatever reason), so I'm going to abide by the guidance." The folks I recognized, I know would fall into that thought process.
So...Progress.
 |
| Source |
Then, last Tuesday (May 18), the Governor dropped another bombshell. On March 2nd he had completely lifted the Mask Mandate and any capacity restrictions. In this new Executive Order, he prohibited any local government entity or Public School System from mandating wearing of masks. Many cities and counties had instituted Mandates of their own when he'd issued the March 2nd order.
Because, what good is power, if you don't abuse it?
This new order includes a fine for any governmental body/person that violates the new order.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Finally, Someone gets it.
I plan to visit the Central Office of my old school district today. Since all the Wu-Flu crap started right about the time I retired, I haven't been back to say hello to a few people there I still care about.
No...I won't be wearing a mask.
On a separate note, Mrs J and I will be leaving in the morning to visit Palo Duro Canyon for a few days. Expect next week's post to be a travel log... with pictures.
Peace out, y'all!
Good luck with the Palo Duro experience.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction after my visit there was like my experience to Wonder Cave.
Wonder in , wonder out, wonder why i went.
Well, that may be true. But....It's not my living room! ;-)
DeleteThere's a falls in Cade's Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park. It's about a two mile hike or so, one way. Over and around three ridge lines.
DeleteWhen you get to the end, I think the lady from Alabama summed it up perfectly... "I coulda P...ed more!"
And to make matters even worse, about 40 minutes out of Cade's Cove on the north side of the park (on a narrow, rather treacherous, twisty narrow treacherous road (hey, I'm a flatlander, I don't do more than 100' difference at a a time) going under the narrow, rather treacherous twisty treacherous road there's a spectacular falls that one can get out of one's car on a semi-flat spot and go look and climb around and get yelled at by rangers and cops and is about 100 times better than ICAPM Falls.
So, yeah, one of those Wonder places...
I need to visit that National Park. I drove the Interstate that's near it and that was some pretty country. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to stop. Might be time to start planning another road trip. :-)
DeleteIt's a very pretty park. I prefer to go in through Townsend on the west end, near Cade's Cove. There's a few hotels and lots of cabin rentals in the area, and it's not too far to go to Gatlinburg/Pidgeon Forge if you want that. Lovely park. We've gone when it first opens, so it's not hot and you aren't fighting all of the 'autumn color' freaks.
DeleteGood to know, thanks.
DeleteI remember reading about McKenzie as a kid. Seeing the rift in the flat ground was always entertaining to me. Geography that is sort of atypical is interesting.
ReplyDeleteDon't fall asleep on the long straight stretches of roads.
The first time I took Mrs J to Lubbock, we were still working so got off late on Friday. There was an overcast and it was dark by the time we got to Big Spring. As we came up onto the Llano Estacado just north of town, Mrs J inquired about the reflected glow on the clouds to the north. I responded "That's Lubbock", she said, "Oh good, we're almost there" I said "About 2 hours from now".
DeleteI'm looking forward to refreshing my appreciation for "See 'em coming" distances.
That having been said, I am taking your advice and driving US84, I think coming up on the plateau by Slaton will be more enlightening for her.
I find it fascinating that so many Progs think the Bill of Rights is open to debate.
ReplyDeleteFascinating is one word, frustrating is another, infuriating is also in my vocabulary when I ponder that issue. The first 5 words should deny any further debate, yet........
DeleteIt's not that they think that it's open to debate that is totally annoying, just, you know, averagely annoying. It's that they think it only applies to THEM!
DeleteFree speech, as long as only they're doing it.
Protecting oneself from others, as long as they're doing it.
And so forth and so on.
Hypocrites and bumblebutts and derriere-chapeau, all!
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI, juvat, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign AND domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
DeleteI took that oath when I was commissioned and each time I was promoted thereafter. I don't recall anyone at my retirement saying "OK, you're released from that oath".
Interestingly, everyone in Congress takes the exact same oath when they are installed after being elected. Sure do wish, they took it a bit more seriously.
Juvat #1, Ditto, frustrating...aggravating, infuriating!
DeleteJuvat #2; Yes, I have taken that oath repeatedly, as well. The tough part now is figuring out what form that support and defense needs to take. Where are the lines between the written laws, and the laws of man? If I was to take a strict point of view that the good of the many outweighs the considerations of the few, it would make the decision making process so much easier.
Good points all.
DeleteJuvat, I find it fascinating that we find ourselves facing a confluence of science and feeling. The science, from what they state, clearly states that if vaccinated, one need not mask. Yet even after millions have had the vaccine, the instinctive reaction for we still need to enforce masking. I have had to travel at least once a month on airlines over the past year and while we assured that cabin filtration is sufficient and above expectations, I still expect the Feds will maintain this requirement for as long as they can.
ReplyDeleteEven I, who am hardly a conspiracy theorist, am questioning why something so "based" in science is unwilling to release its hold on us.
It is refreshing out in the real world, breathing the free air of freedom.
THBB,
DeleteMy working hypothesis on this phenomenon is those folks never got over the thrill they got in third grade when Sister Mary Elephant appointed them as "Line Leader" for the week. That feeling of power that the other kids in the class would have to follow them and do as they said for the entire week was more addicting than Hunter Biden's best Cocaine. It was a glorious week for them. Unfortunately, on Friday afternoon, it was over. They've spent their entire lives since, seeking to regain that feeling and if they did, do whatever it takes not to lose it again.
Change my mind!
:-)
About the only thing worse than knowing someone like that is having them work for you.(DAMHIK)
DeleteI would think that having to work for one would be even worse than that. DAMHIK either. :-)
DeleteAnd I'm still fascinated, in a 'watch the flaming train loaded with explosives crash into the flaming ship full of ammonium nitrate' way, of the people who are driving alone in their closed up cars with masks on. Or walking their dogs at 3am with a mask on. Or, well, wearing a mask at all.
DeleteNo, I do not quietly mumble "baaaa-baaaa-baaaa" under my breath where others can hear. Though I think it real hard and Mrs. Andrew is known to shoot part of her vast knife collection out of her eyes at me because I apparently radiate telepathically at a 500,000 watt radio station level.
Baaa. Sheeple. The science was settled after the Flu Cruise. All of this was... maskrova to cover a power grab not seen since Woodrow Wilson and FDR. But that's another day, another topic.
As to you, Sir juvat, I am shocked, shocked I say to find out you listened to Cheech and Chong.
DeleteBut then again, so did I, so the fact I got your reference shows how bad a person I am...
Beans #1
DeleteLast para. Exactly!
Beans #2
DeleteSubtle???? Moi? Surely you jest.
Hey Juvat;
ReplyDeletethere was a study in Japan about "Mask dependence" back in 2017, and with some people it became part of their identity and they can't take it off without losing part of themselves so they can't let go. Me, I only wear a face diaper at work because they make me, other than that, I refuse to. A lot of the Municipalities are donk enclaves in red states and they are going to push their inner tyrant as long as they can before they get slapped down.
Mr G,
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how long the employer's mandate for masking lasts. I realize you don't live in Texas, so your employer may still have the state he can blame for the mandate. It will be interesting to see how long the big employers around my small town (HEB, WalMart, Lowes etc) will continue to demand it. I intend to do my part to "slap them down", asking the management "Why".
Masks were very common in both my tours in the Orient (Okinawa and Korea). I may have not been aware of it, but not wearing one didn't seem to bring as much hate as it seems to in some areas of this country. Then again, it hadn't been 150+ years since there'd been an actual war in either country so maybe they're a tad more aware of the consequences of behavior.
Who knows?
Publix in Florida stopped the 'mask required' but most of their employees still wear theirs.
DeleteIt's nice that we here in Florida have a governor who has stopped local municipalities from trying to fine people and businesses for not having masks worn, has admitted that the whole 'mask and shutdown' was a vastly stupid idea as it contradicted everything known at the time (and still contradicts everything known at the time) and has actively gone after stupid reporters (a very redundant concept) who even try to stupidly spar with him.
Ahh... nice that we didn't get stuck with Gollum, I mean Gillum...
The list of crappy ass politicians is almost infinite and I suspect that any person that wants to be elected, should be barred from election. That having been said, I don't have an ideas of a better way to run a country.
DeleteI must say that even though the Scriptural justification is clear I've never been a fan of liturgical dance.
ReplyDeleteMe either. Or Pomposity. That having been said, the opening couple of minutes of that music is way high on my classical favorites list. My mom used to play that quite a bit when I was a kid. Kinda stuck. I've been humming it all morning. Drives Mrs J crazy! ;-)
DeleteLiturgical Dance just smacks of heathenism and progressivism (which, come to think of it, are about the same thing aren't they?) So, yeah, Beans don't dig the interpretive dance move, yo! It's worse than liturgical Rap. Which... is bad, just... bad.
DeleteI miss the mass where alter boys wore 2 piece outfits rather than monks' robes, where they rang the bells to a three count when the priest blesses the wine and holy wafers, and the canting (a semi-musical way of talking) of the service.
I feel that every time they've taken a mystery out of the mass in order to connect to people, they lose them.
Up until Wu-Flu hit, that was pretty much how the Mass is conducted here. It is one of the reasons we chose this town when we left the DC area. Because of the restrictions, the "crew" was reduced to the Deacon and Priest. It will be interesting to see what changes are made based on the two proclamations from last week. It was also interesting that the letter was from the Bishop and not the Archbishop. The Archbishop is the guy that issued the original letter as well as the letter that countered the Governor's March 2 lifting saying all restrictions would remain in effect. While technically they did, in reality nobody enforced them. e.g. Reservations to attend Mass (yes really) were still required, however, upon arrival nobody asked for a name to check if you had one. So...
DeleteAnd the Catholic Church is wondering why they're bleeding people to the Protestants and Mormons, or to other things.
DeleteReservations for Mass. That's... That's... I can hear St. Peter cursing up a sailor's storm.
I'm pretty sure that decision was made by the Archbishop. And I'm pretty sure he's covering his backside by making the Bishop write the letter removing the restrictions. Leaves him blameless (in his eyes). Needless to say, I'm not impressed with him. I believe he leans way far left, to the point of Socialism. Some folks don't learn from history and unfortunately, all of us must relive it.
DeleteI saw a meme pretty early during the Maskrova that showed a fighter pilot taking off his O2 mask and the meme stating "How you feel when you get outside and take your mask off." So true, so very true.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I've shut people down by invoking Hippo. Yeah, as in hippopotamus, versus the Federal Law called HIPAA. Because people's is stupid. Hippo, hungry hungry hippo. Weeee. Are we having fun yet?
I'm not going to give my conspiratorial reason I believe why we went into shutdown and maskrova because I've already stated it a thousand times before. Other than to say.... well, it was done for political reasons.
I am glad you, juvat, and others are able to experience a free life without having to look like you're on a well-dressed Mad Max set.
And now for something different (insert visual of naked man playing an electric organ).
It's joke time.
What's a flak battery?
An AAA cell...
(runs, ducks, covers, trips over own feet, stumbles into wall, laughing maniacally.)
🤣🤣🤣
DeleteThe laughing maniacally part says all I need to know, Beans!
DeleteBeans,
DeleteA joke so bad, it's good! It almost qualifies as a dad joke.
Good One!
ReplyDeleteHere's my "I don't get this shit". If I'm not fully vaccinated, but they want me to wear a mask, it's to protect who? Presumably me, as everybody else is vaxxed or masked, right? I got t-boned in my '68 Camaro, yeah, right in the driver's door. I was pinned between the door and the center console, and could not get at the seat belt release. If there would have been a fire, I wouldn't be here pissing and moaning today. I choose not to wear seat belts now (collective gasp from the audience!) because I never want to be trapped again. It's a personal choice, and nobody can write a rule that will change my mind. My safety is my business, and nobody else's.
ReplyDeleteI can see your point and agree that my safety is my responsibility. Glad you were ok.
DeleteYay for that, and if you have time, STRONGLY recommend you make time to hit the Panhandle Plains Museum in Canyon. The main doors are in and of themselves, worth the visit... :-)
ReplyDeleteCan we assume that the dancers were from the High School group, or maybe the young adults?
ReplyDeleteOne of my four favorite operatic scenes.